September 16, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws the ball against the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter at Candlestick Park. The 49ers defeated the Lions 27-19. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE
The Tennessee Titans host the Detroit Lions tomorrow at 12PM CT. The Titans are 0-2 while the Lions sit at 1-0. It’s hard for any Titans fan to feel good about this game considering how awful they’ve looked in their first couple showings. None the less, I asked the FanSided editor of the SideLion Report, Zac Snyder, a few questions about the Lions:
(TS)What’s all this I hear about QB Matthew Stafford not being on top of his game? Right now he has thrown 4 INT’s to 2 TD’s. What’s going on with him?
I really don’t think it is anything more than him not getting off to the start we all hoped for. It hasn’t been a great two games for him but it isn’t like they were complete disasters, the likes of which he never had last year. I argue that the spotlight on the numbers is a result of it coming in the first two weeks instead of it being just a two-week blip in an otherwise spectacular season. We may very well look back at Stafford’s season as a whole and like what we see.
(TS)What’s the biggest thing the Titans have to fear about the Lions (besides Suh and Johnson)?
Probably the possibility of Titus Young getting on track. The second-year wide receiver carries a ton of potential but he hasn’t put up many numbers and has looked disengaged through two weeks. If the Lions get him going, watch out.
(TS) Stephen Tulluch was a solid tackler for the Tennessee Titans but never did much in the turnover category. He seems to be flourishing with the Lions. How much do you guys love him?
It’s been about a decade since the Lions last had a dependable middle linebacker so having Stephen Tulloch is a real treat. He isn’t overly flashy but just seems to have a knack for showing up at big times – a key interception in last season’s big comeback win at Dallas comes to mind. He’s solid, dependable and very familiar with Jim Schwartz so the fit has been natural from day one. Re-signing Tulloch to a long term deal was a huge priority for the Lions and it seems that both sides are very happy, as are most fans.
(TS) What weakness do the Lions have that you think the Titans may be able to capitalize on?
The Lions’ secondary was a question heading into the season and things only got worse from there with Louis Delmas, Chris Houston and rookie Bill Bentley missing time due to injury. The Lions were really scraping the bottom of their roster last week but the good news is that Houston and Bentley should be back this week. Overall that’s bad news for the Titans but trying to pick on them in their return might not be a bad strategy. With Chris Johnson struggling, the Titans will have to get something done through the air.
(TS) You’ve heard my prediction for the game… What’s yours?
I don’t want to sound like a home but I was surprised when the Lions opened as only three point favorites over the Titans. The Lions might not quite be Super Bowl contenders just yet but they are an awfully tough team to try to get going against so I expect the Titans’ struggles to continue. The Lions get their starting corners back from injury and Mikel Leshoure back from suspension so the talent gap between the two teams just got bigger than it would have been in week two.
Lions 26, Titans 10.
You can find Zac on Twitter @ZacSnyder
You can find me on Twitter @JustinLStewart
